The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-08-17
M0re than Seyenty-fivs Lives Lest
by an Accident Near Chats
worth Illinois.
Twice That Number of Persons
Wounded, Many of Them
Fatally.
A Heavily yaden Excursion Train
Crashes Through Charred
Bridge in the Night.
The Wreck Takes Fire and Is Extin-
guished After Desper-
ate Fight.
rest (Ill.) special.i

rest I'LL bpeclall
One OF the most horrible accidents within the
memory OF man occurred three miles east OF
Chatsworth, on the Toledo, Peoria and Western
Railroad, late Wednesday night An excursion
train Of sixteen cars from Peoria went through
n eulvert and upward Of 25j persons were killed
and injured. So far as learned, seventy three
persons were instantly killed and about one
hundred and sixty more or less seriously in
jured
The train consisted of engines 81 and IL, a
baggage car, Il special car, five coaches, and
six sleepers. Two and half miles east of
Chntsworth, n small village about seven miles
east OF Forest there is Il small culvert or
ditch IL is about fourteen feet wide and thir-
teen feet deep. The bridge over this culvert
was a wretched structure Of wood, and the
hot weather Of past weeks had made it dry
as finder Wednesday night the supports
caught FIRE and slowly burned until the
entire bridge rested on the charred rem
nants Of the timbers. When the train came
laundering down there was nothing to warn the
head engineer that the bridge was q death trap
and the speed of the train was not slackened.
II had steamed slowly out OF Chatsworth ut
IL 40 o'clock, but striking gentle down grade
the throttle was pulled out aud the train rushed
along vt n rate OF forty miles an hour.
HURLED INTO THE CHAsM.
When the first engine struck the bridge there
cracking of timbers, and the engine
dropped: The leading engine was not thrown
from the track and continued on it's way, .aS.
ing it's tender with il. The next engine dropped
into the chasm, and then the train rushed on
ward and was piled in heap, with the excep-
ton Of the sleepers, which escaped without
scratch.
The scene OF horror and confusion that fol-
lowed was frightful. There were about seven
hundred people on the train, and Of these fully
one IF were in the coaches that now lay in a
huge mass. Ten cars filled with dead and dy-
ing people were iammed into space Of two
cars length
HoRIlIBtY CRUSHED AND MANGLED.
The six coaches We're telescoped in the most
horrible manner, and the occupants were sim
ply crushed ana mangled almost out OF oil
semblance 10 human beings. Thirty-nine Ia
dies were taken out from the end Of one OF the
cars. When the crash came they were swept
OIL their seats by the rear car bursting in on
thom and crushed to death in the further end
OF the car
As soon as the survivors recovered from the
awful shock train hand ran back 20 Chats
worth for help. The news of the awful disns-
ter spread quickly ana in short time hun
dreds OF people from Forest, Chatsworth Piper
City. Gilman, and the surrounding country
were on the spot assisting in the work of res
cue. The remnants of the bridge, which was
still burning, received the first attention.
Water brought from farmers houses near
by and the flames eXtinguished. None of the
cars caught fire, otherwise the horrors Of a
holocaust would have been:added 10 an lready
frightful disaster. Attention was then turned
to the shreking inmates OF the wrecked cars.
Ssch was the awful momentum of the train
that three Of the coaches were not only tele
scoped, but piled on top OF each other. The
other cars had rolled of the track after tele
scoping. Fourteen trucks We're piled on the
east side of the culvert. In the midst of this
awful mass OF broken cars hundreds OF human
beings were intomDed. One woman with her
baby in her arms was thrown half the length
of tue car and killed. The baby was
not injured. -Four eolored women sit
ting together were crushed TO pulp
They were from Peoria. Conductor Still
we'll escaped with few injuries about
the body.
man named Goodall. q butcher from PEORIA
limbs crushed.
For Gods sake save me- he cried TO the
rescuers IN give 500 to any one who will
But il was Impossible. His body could not
have been got out without chopping it out and
the poor fellow died a few min Jtes later. His
son is thought to have been killed.
sHRIEKlNG OUT or The DARKNESS.
AS fast Us possible the work OF release was
prosecuted but about 80 o'clock IL began to
| rain and the horror of the night complete.
| The black darkness, which was family illum-
| ined by lanterns and pierced bv the awful
| wells and groans Of the dying, injured, and inn
| prisoned, was now joined by the elements, and
| the pouring rain, lightning, and the roar
OF thunder made scene that would ap-
| pail the bravest heart One young man who
| was taken out with both legs broken was
carried into cornfeld near by and laid
| down. He yelled with pain for a time but an
| hour later IL was found that he had killed HIM
| self by blowing his brains out. The terrible
excitement and pain had probably driven him
| crazy.
| were placed side by side in the cornfeld north
| OF the track. BY daylight sixty-hVe bodies
| were lying side by side, silent monuments 70
what seems to have been railroad company 8
carelessness. The majority OF the dead are
| Peoria people. The train contained 175 people
| from Peoria city and county, and of this num-
| Der at least forty-One were killed.
STORIES or SURVIVORS.
Mr.. ]. NJ. Tennery, OF Peoria, was in the first
| sleeper, and said Il felt three distinct shocks
and then heard grinding sound, and on look
| ing out saw that the car in which were was
directly over the fire, which was slowly blazing
on the stringers Of the bridge. got out in
fs.ls
ear was one wish could forever efface from
| my memory but l know l never can. The
shrieks Of the dying and the glaring faces of
the dead will always stay with me. To add TO
the horror it was pitch dark save for the fitful
| light of the FIRE under the sleeper,
which lighted the faces of those about only TO
make their fear and anguish visible. On the
| mouths Of most OF the corpses could be seen
foan which showed that they died in agony.
| At last we secured some feeble lights, but the
| wind blew them out and about o clock tho rain
| poured down in torrents on the unprotected
dead and dying in the hedges and cornhelds adj
| jacent Our efforts were divided between
| trying TO put out the fire and rescuing the
| dying whose cries for help were heartrending,
indeed. Mothers wildly about cry
| ing for lost children and wives for hus'
bands. strong men we're weeping over the
| forms of their beloved wives. Prayers, en-
treaties, and groans filled the air until daylight,
| when relief parties got to work and removed
| the dead and wounded from the scene. The
| bridge was on fire before the train struck
| &. Falroth, who was one of the fortunate ones
| occupying berth in next TO the last sleeper,
| saws that 70 put out the fire water was to be
| had All went to work with will with such tools
| as could be found the cars 10 further de-
| stroy and tear away all the woodwork pos
| sible and with dirt, weeds, dry grass, coats,
and clothing in fact anything that would act
| as a weapon against the fierce flames. After a
terrible struggle the fire was put out
| Mr.. Falyorth, on passing one OF the coaches,
| was requested, "For Gods sake take my child
| a babe which he immediately did, and, leay-
| ing it in as safe place as could be found.
went into the car and found the mother,
Mrs. Neal, OF Mossville, just dead.
| The scene in the cars was be-
| yond description One young child was
| found fastened near the roof OF the car head
| down, where in the jar and conclusion IL had
| teen thrown, and was dead when taken down.
| Others were found i'm all conceivable shapes,
| all were thrown of their seats and piled in the
| ends OF the aisles Of the cars. bleeding from
| gashes in the face. arms, or other portions OF
| the body. IL was, Mr. Ealvorth says. the most
| sickening sight he ever witnessed.
| William Ellis, one of the badly injured, says
| he was thrown four five seats forward and
| stunned, and when he recovered himself he
found others lying upon him. His watch was
| smashed, and had stopped at ~ :l3. He IL OF
| the opinion that the bridge was set on fire by
| loungers around there whose motive it was Il
| plumber the dead, as he saw some Of these sus-
demonstrating fellows taking rings from fn-